New member and need advice...

Hello everyone! I have been a big fan of toyotas since the 80s and Back to the future lol. Have always wanted one, currently own an 03 Dodge 2500 with a hemi and 4.10 gears with a 6 speed mercedes auto trans and have been looking to downsize... I am going to have HP widthdraws for sure and going to miss the long bed and towing capacity. But thats the sacrafice for fuel economy right? lol And not to mention, ive asked myself alot lately, what place will 10mpg average have in our economy in the near future? I consider myself the lower half of what used to being middle class and I have a hard time looking at my $500 plus a month in gas recipts... lol

So i plan on a durastic change and a change for the better, I have been looking into the tacoma Reg cab 4x4 in silver, manual trans. For us that need a 4x4 and include it in our lives with nearly all of our recreation, yet need a financial break i sure dont think you can beat a Tacoma from all that i have been reading up on. So i decided to sign up and learn more about the reg cab and the 2.7 before i place my order with Toyota.


The Biggest and most important question is.... Whats the performance like with the 4.10 gearing with the 2.7 with the manual vs the auto trans with a 31 to 32 in AT or mud tire?


Id like the manual due to the reliability and fun(owned mostly manual trans vehicles, this dodge 2500 being the first automatic) however the girlfriend would prefer an auto on snowy days when she borrows it to get to work... i know i know she can learn.


its been many years since ive been in a 4cyl truck. My fam has plenty of Ford rangers and Explorers with the 4.0 and auto trans with axle ratios than 4.10 which they use to pull a tandom 12ft trailer loaded down with a water tank. Which back when i learned to drive was a ford ranger (Dad bought new in 86' ordered with 4.10s and posi) which was a 1987 Ranger longbed 4x4, 4.10s, with the manual trans and 2.9 V6- i cant remember the HP rating but we used it to pull that tandom 12ft trailer with 425 gal of water- approx 3000lbs its entire life to fill our 8000 gallon drinkin water resivore. when i turned 16 it was my duty to haul water and that little 2.9 with 4.10s got the job done(yes i know way to much weight for such a small truck to stop safely in an emergency) however we retired it with 340K on the odo and never had to crack open the motor/trans/rear axle or tcase for repairs dispite the heavy loads it was tasked with all its life. we retired it due to the cab mounts and floor boards rusting though completely due to the salt the state puts on the roads here in the midwest still ran great when we sold it but 2nd gear syncro was notchy when cold. of coures couldnt pass anything but maintaind speed with cruise set in 5th trailer'd up and loaded down with slight varying inclines.


that ranger is the only thing i can relate to when thinking about this Tacoma reg cab 2.7. I need to schedule a test drive but these reg cabs are far and few between on the lots and finding one to test drive before purchase is hard. of course you all know we have to order it and purchase it sight unseen without even a test drive in most cases and sure dont want to order it blind and have case of buyers remorse. dont get me wrong i fully understand the expected performance of a 4cyl verses my current Hemi with 4.10s but id like to get a seat of the pants feel to become familiar with it again and reset my understanding of what i am switching to. That being said my ideal Tacoma is just about $8k more and my anticipated budget just cant sustain the higher monthly payment amount for 6yrs. The reg cab 4x4 will meet my needs just fine and i am setting myself on a course with a tighter budget soon after i let my Hemi go.


Any how i plan on 31x10.50s or maybe 32s for the tire size in a BFG AT and a leveling kit, it wont see any "hard" off road but will be used on the farm and muddy trails down to my fishing holes, and pulling a tandom 12ft trailer with two atvs around the midwest a couple times a year. i will also depend on it in the winter of course. Id like to put in a rear selectable locking dif or factory Toyota rear locking third member(if that is even possible). Later id like to add an off road bumper and winch. I also know the value of having a good quality set of shocks also, i run Bilstien 5100's on my Dodge and they do great at controling those heavy axles for my use and always liked the idea of the Jounce? bumpstops.


I would also like to figure out some sort of lockable hub conversion, i know the kits were availible for the early IFS toyota not sure about the late models- if anyone could chime in that would be great! Id like a conversion simply due to the 2wd models getting better mpg and the obvious, less wear on non rotating axle components, further more having Low Range in 2wd is a great thing when backing up longer trailers when needed- it was great having lockable hubs on the old 87 ford ranger, heck we used 2wd low 3 times a week when we hauled water certainly a clutch saver when you pull heavy loaded trailer frequently and need to back up often.

Anyhow if anyone can help out with ideas and recommendations considering the Tacoma reg cab 4x4 with the manual trans i welcome all thoughts on the matter to help me decide.

I hope to use the help from you all and fantastic wealth of info on this Forum, have a wonderfull Thanksgiving everyone!!!

 

Welcome to TN!

I can't directly answer any of your questions but I can indirectly offer some of my experience.

First, I know from the V6s that the manual transmissions get worse fuel milage than the autos. I think the highway estimated MPG for the manuals is 19 and the autos is 20 or 21. I don't know the exact numbers. I know my 4.0 L manual gets worse mpg than any of my friend's autos. I would imagine this is the same for the 4 cylinders. Otherwise, performance wise, driving my truck vs. my friend's autos, they are pretty similar.

Towing wise, I haven't done much myself. My dad had a 93 toyota pickup, 4 cyl, and he towed and hauled all sorts of crazy shit with that truck. I would imagine the newer tacos would be equally as capable.

I have owned 3 toyota trucks and they have all been amazing, even with high mileage. I whole heartedly recommend these trucks to anyone considering buying a truck. they aren't the biggest, most powerful, fastest, etc. but they get most jobs done well and will last forever.

I hope that helps some. You have a lot of info in that post! Might help if you edit it a little and break the paragraphs down. The big one in the middle is easy to get lost in

 

Holy Christ that is a long thread my friend My tired little brain recoiled in horror at the thought of trying to read it all, welcome to TW from Cali and I'll try to chew on your post a little more in the morning if others haven't helped you out yet